Ninja features some particularly nice graphics with really colourful and detailed backgrounds along side attractive sprites. The sound is also very cleverly done here, as you walk from location to location music plays but as soon as you start a battle it stops to play sound effects. I have never seen this in a game before and it reminded me of a classic kung-fu movie. Ninja is a highly enjoyable title and one that every Atari 8-bit owner should take a look at.

As martial arts games go, Ninja is one of the better ones. The action is fast and furious, most bouts lasting only a matter of seconds, and the excitement level is high - something that cannot be said for many of the clones currently available. The one annoying feature is in the control menu. The Kempston option does not appear to work, mainly because you have to select Cursor joystick instead. Nothing serious on but surely someone should have picked this up at the game's testing stage.

Unfortunately, the controls are erratic, lending themselves to frantic joystick waggling and button tapping. Likewise, picking up items is a lot more aggravating than it should be. Upon clearing a set of screens you'll want to look for a hole you can jump through to access a new set. It's tough to make much progress in Ninja because the game is extremely unforgiving. Your health meter is tiny and one unlucky hit can instantly end your game. Believe it or not, I actually programmed a very similar game in the early 80's - with more modest graphics of course. Ninja's erratic gameplay won't knock your socks off, but the game is a worthy challenge if you're up for it.